For whatever reason, the shortest day of the year seemed like an auspicious time to trek out in search of an abandoned Highland village we’d heard was somewhere up in the hills above Loch Stemster.
The shortest day, the longest shadow, High Noon on the road to Badryrie.
The end to the shortest story came soon enough…
After a few hours spent wandering knee-deep in muddy bog…
…punctuated by panicked wails of “How many more minutes of daylight do you think we have???”
I’d soon run down my battery taking pictures of frost-smothered heather…
… and icy deer tracks.
Fantasizing the Springtime discovery of our gnawed carcasses frozen in the peaty moor, we decided to turn homeward.
Badryrie is still out there. Somewhere. Its legends undisturbed for now.
And tomorrow is a longer day.
December 21: Loch Stemster icing over…
